Three More Newspaper Endorsements for John McCain for President!

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Endorses John McCain For President

John McCain For President: A Hero Leader

Editorial
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

February 10, 2008

You have to hand it to John McCain. He has an impeccable sense of timing.
At the very moment that a dangerously fractured Republican Party could have disintegrated -- Thursday, when Mitt Romney, the darling of the anti-McCain crowd exited the race -- Sen. McCain delivered a stunning speech to the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington.

Certainly, there was a measured sense of rebuke in the words of the Arizona senator who now has a virtual lock on the GOP presidential nomination. Fiercely independent, McCain made no apologies for positions he holds dear but may be at odds with the traditional conservative base.
But McCain also offered an impressive tutorial on what the core of conservatism really is -- small government, fiscal discipline, low taxes, a strong defense and a judiciary that does not legislate from the bench.

And in the starkest of terms, John McCain reminded those gathered at CPAC and those watching nationwide that the alternative -- freedom-stripping, purse-robbing and security-endangering Democrats -- is no alternative at all.

It was the speech of a hero leader at the exact moment
when America is in dire need of heroes and leaders. And we wholeheartedly
endorse John McCain for president.

The El Paso Times Endorses John McCain For President

Go With McCain: He Deserves GOP Nomination

Editorial
El Paso Times
February 10, 2008

John McCain is the El Paso Times' recommendation for those voting in the March 4 Republican Primary.

One thing that should appeal to El Pasoans -- and many others -- is that McCain is a veteran and former prisoner of war. He understands the problems of our military and our veterans, and he has promised to fight for them and not relegate them to the shadows. That's increasingly important as the war drags on and we create new legions of veterans, many of them wounded.
McCain also inherits the job of repairing a fragmented Republican Party that, frankly, has suffered from the Bush presidency. He also will have to prove to Americans that he can restore trust in a government that seems far from representing and working toward the interests of constituents. From pork-barreling to political posturing, from broken promises to the power of special interests, from taxing to spending, government needs fixing, and McCain seems to have the toughness and will to accomplish at least some of that.

McCain supports comprehensive immigration reform, and that doesn't always sit well with conservatives. But he's right about the need for such reform, and he recognizes the need for secure borders that addresses both immigration reform and the national security-related need for tighter northern and southern borders.

McCain also recognizes the tie between the government's greedy spending habits and increasing taxes, and promises to work to keep that spending in check while creating a fair taxing system.
After his Super Tuesday victories, McCain is already the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party.

But Republicans should still vote for him in the primary in a show
of solidarity that will help garner delegates and give him a smooth path into
and through the GOP convention in September.

The Baltimore Sun Endorses John McCain For President

Excerpts From "Sun Endorsement: Betting On Change, Reform"
Editorial
The Baltimore Sun
February 10, 2008

... In the Republican primary, John McCain is our choice. The
veteran Arizona senator whose political obituary had been all but written has
risen like a phoenix to presumptive nominee status. He has stood his ground on
tough issues such as immigration reform, campaign finance and torture, and we
praised him for it. He is principled and has been willing to compromise.
...

Read The Baltimore Sun Editorial: "Sun Endorsement: Betting On Change, Reform"

MY Super Tuesday Predictions....

I've looked at the GOP Super Tuesday Primary races. Taking into consideration the rules for each state, here are my predictions:



I've looked at the GOP Super Tuesday Primary races. Taking into consideration the rules for each state, here are my predictions:

GOP Delegates

State McCain Romney Huckabee

CA 128 48 0

NY* 101 0 0

GA 24 24 24

IL 30 25 5

MS* 58 0 0

TN 20 18 19

AZ* 53 0 0

NJ* 52 0 0

AL 20 16 12

MA 13 30 0

CT* 30 0 0

CO 16 30 0

MN 30 11 0

OK 30 11 0

UT* 0 36 0

AK 20 4 10

WV 5 15 10

AL 14 15 0

ND 9 15 0

MONT* 0 25 0

DEL* 18 0 0

McCain Romney Huckabee
Total Delegates 752 323 80

* = Winner Take All States

In California, I looked at the Field Poll, the ONLY on-going District-By-District Polling on this race in CA. Out of the 53 districts in CA, only 15 of them what you might call Ultra-Conservative (I pick Romney to win those). Problem for Romney is that the other 38 districts are much more like CA (I chose those for McCain). Winner gets 3 delegates for winning each district. Overall winner gets 11. That is why McCain does well in CA despite what the Far Right is telling you.

Possible Scenarios for Super Tuesday By Reid Wilson

From Real Clear Politics:

With more than half of the pledged delegates needed for the nomination to be awarded after the final results come in tonight -- or tomorrow -- both parties' races could be entering their final acts, and the verdict delivered today may determine who is standing when the curtain closes. Primary voters and caucus-goers in two dozen states head to the polls today, and the five major remaining candidates will hunker down in their home states to analyze the results and figure out just how the race may have changed.

On all sides, strategists have contingency plans they will need to put into action at a moment's notice. Each has a scenario they hope for, and a scenario they dread. Here are some of the results we could see by the end of the night, beginning with the GOP:

John McCain wins big.

McCain is in a strong position in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware - four states that award all their delegates, save a few at large representatives, to the statewide winner. Add in the 53 winner take all delegates at stake in his home state of Arizona and McCain looks poised for a big night. Given McCain's lead in the national polls, he looks almost certain to come out of Tuesday with more delegates than any other candidate. If he wins an overwhelming number of states, he's likely to be declared the unstoppable front-runner.

Mitt Romney has already begun talking about his campaign in what seems like a resigned fashion. After a delay in throwing more money at February 5 states to build a big lead in television advertising, Romney wrote a check, but given the size of his buys it seems the commitment was much smaller than previous ones. A big McCain win, including victories in California, Colorado and Georgia, would likely chase Romney from the race.

McCain set to hit the airwaves in 20 states

(CNN) — John McCain is poised to purchase a "significant" Super Tuesday ad buy that will put the Arizona senator's television commercials on the air in some 20 states, campaign sources tell CNN.

The ads are set to hit airwaves in every Super Tuesday state except Utah.

The sources refused to give a specific dollar figure, but said it was a "seven figure" buy.

McCain, whose campaign of late has seen an infusion of cash, spent close to $2 million on ads in Florida alone the week before that state's crucial primary.

The news comes the same day Mitt Romney's campaign announced it was making a significant ad buy in California and some other Super Tuesday states.

UPDATE: McCain's campaign has released details of the ad it's set to run. Called "true conservative," it touts the Arizona senator's "commitment to conservative principles on economic, social and national security issues as well as his readiness to lead as commander in chief on day one. "

– CNN's Dana Bash and Tasha Diakides

Washington Post: After Romney's Barrage, McCain Stands Tall

By Jonathan Weisman and Paul Kane

On Friday, Mitt Romney accused John McCain of being the Democrats' favorite Republican. On Sunday, the former Massachusetts governor mocked McCain's endorsement in the New York Times and then observed, "If he's been a leader, where has it led us?" On Monday, Romney accused McCain of clobbering Florida taxpayers at the gas pump. Yesterday, he called him an economic novice.

But last night, the senator from Arizona emerged from that negative onslaught a survivor. In money and message, Romney threw all he could at McCain in a bruising week in Florida, but it did not prove to be enough.

"You don't want to say it doesn't get you anything because a lot of campaigns are won on negativity," said John Weaver, a longtime political adviser to McCain. "But if Romney wasn't born on third base, if he had to campaign and fundraise like everyone else, I'm sure he wouldn't be here anymore."

The Republicans' swing through Florida was a watershed. Not only was it the first big state of the presidential nomination fight, but it was also the first state that looked like the United States at large, with all its ethnic, religious and racial diversity, its economic haves and have-nots, and the sheer scale of its political universe. Romney was able to stay close, in part by far outspending McCain, but also by finding his strongest message yet as the can-do businessman standing against the ineffectual Washington insider.

"You're getting your first taste of a real American election in Florida," said Bill Nelson, the state's Democratic senator. "Romney was telling folks: 'I ran a business. I ran a state. I know how to run things and McCain doesn't.' Romney was hitting hard that McCain is not a real conservative. And I guess it didn't work."

To be sure, McCain gave as much as he got, scorning Romney as a flip-flopper, releasing an Internet ad with Romney's head superimposed on a windsurfing John Kerry, and bringing up a months-old statement by Romney on Iraq to rekindle a national security debate.

When asked by exit pollsters yesterday to choose which
candidate says what he believes, twice as many voters picked McCain over
Romney.

But it was Romney's strategy that was laid bare, when he led with his chin and challenged McCain on his record on campaign finance, immigration, the environment and the economy.

"Look at his legislation," Romney said on CNN Sunday, "McCain-Feingold that hurt our First Amendment rights, McCain-Kennedy that was granting amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens and now McCain-Lieberman that wants to put a huge tax effectively on American gasoline buyers and ratepayers. His record is not the kind of leadership you want to have. I'm proud to be a leader that time and again has proven his mettle."

In the end, though, those arguments did not appear to resonate with many Florida voters. The powerful Cuban immigrant community went for McCain over Romney by a 5 to 1 margin, according to the network exit poll. McCain beat Romney by 10 percentage points among voters older than 65.

McCain even won among voters who would seemingly be
open to Romney's economic pitch. Of the 63 percent of GOP voters who said the
economy is doing poorly or not well, 41 percent sided with McCain, compared with
27 percent who voted for Romney.

Foes of illegal immigration were left scratching their heads over an issue that a month ago looked like the focal point of the nomination fight.

"The older Republicans who are still very angry at Bush about the amnesty issue have lost sight of the integral role McCain had in all of that," said Roy Beck, head of the immigration-limitation group NumbersUSA, who has waged war on McCain for his efforts to grant illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

"For a lot of people, they just like McCain -- maverick
in chief, the Straight Talk Express. They want to be
convinced."

Despite Romney's loss in Florida, his allies said yesterday that the run-up to the primary provided them a road map for how they will continue to hit McCain in the 21 states holding GOP primaries and caucuses Tuesday.

"As the field was winnowed down, I do think that things got more focused, which means the choices became more obvious and that was when we started trending up," said Ben Ginsberg, a Republican lawyer and top Romney strategist.

Romney insiders believe that because of McCain's opposition to President Bush's signature $1.3 trillion tax-cut plan in 2001, they could portray the senator as not in command of the issue now soaring to the top of voters' concerns.

Romney, however, faces a steeper hurdle in drawing those contrasts with McCain in the Super Tuesday states.

In Florida,
as he did in other early states, Romney blanketed the airwaves with ads financed
partly by his own fortune. According to Nielsen Co., Romney ran nearly 4,500 ads
in Florida by Monday, compared with 470 by
McCain.

But with so many states up for grabs on Tuesday, it becomes increasingly difficult for Romney to leverage that kind of an advantage against his chief rival nationwide.

John McCain's Speech Last Night After the NH Debate Victory!

Today's Rasmussen Poll in New Hampshire - New Hampshire: McCain 31% Romney 26%

Saturday January 5, 2008

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Hampshire shows John McCain leading Mitt Romney by five percentage points. It’s McCain 31% Romney 26%. The survey was conducted Friday night, the night following the Iowa caucuses. As noted yesterday on Rasmussen Reports, McCain was one of the big winners on Thursday in Iowa. The current poll is a reversal from a pre-Christmas survey when Romney had a slight advantage.

Ron Paul earns 14% of the vote and Mike Huckabee gets 11% as the only other candidates in double digits. Rudy Giuliani attracts 8% of the vote, Fred Thompson 5%, some other candidate 2%, and 3% are not sure.

McCain and Romney are tied among Republicans likely to vote in the Primary but McCain has an advantage among Independent voters. Independents are still more likely to participate in the Democratic Primary. Still, the survey suggests that 32% of voters in the GOP Primary will be unaffiliated with either major party.

The Republican race remains fluid as nearly a third of GOP voters say they could still change their mind. Sixty-four percent (64%) of McCain’s voters say they are “certain” they will vote for him. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Romney supporters are that certain along with 83% of Ron Paul voters and 66% for Mike Huckabee.

New polling data for the New Hampshire Democratic Primary will be released at 10:30 Eastern today.

Nationally, in both the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and the Rasmussen Markets data, there is no clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

In New Hampshire, McCain is now seen as the most electable Republican. Seventy-six percent (76%) of GOP voters say the Arizona Senator is at least somewhat likely to win the White House if nominated. Sixty-eight percent (68%) have that confidence in Romney and 60% say the same of Rudy Giuliani. Just 42% believe Huckabee would be even somewhat likely to win; 25% hold that view of Thompson, and 18% believe Paul would have a chance.

Among New Hampshire’s Likely Republican Primary Voters, National Security Issues are deemed Very Important by 78%. Immigration is seen as Very Important by 65%, government ethics and corruption by 64%, Iraq by 64%. Sixty-one percent (59%) say the economy is Very Important in determining how they will vote.

McCain, Romney, and Giuliani are the only Republican candidates viewed favorably by even a plurality of GOP voters. McCain is viewed favorably by 71% and unfavorably by 27%. Romney and Giuliani are each seen favorably by 64%. Romney earns unfavorable assessments from 33%, Giuliani from 35%.

Ratings for all three men are down slightly since our previous survey.

Huckabee is viewed favorably by 47% and unfavorably by 50%. Thompson’s numbers are 45% favorable and 49% unfavorable. His numbers are now similar to Ron Paul’s—42% have a favorable opinion of the Texas Congressman while 53% voice an unfavorable opinion.

Rasmussen Markets data at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning suggest that John McCain has a 73% chance of winning in New Hampshire. Mitt Romney is given a 24% chance of winning

JOHN McCAIN takes the Lead in New Hampshire!

Daily Difference – Republicans

In the Republican Primary, McCain (32 percent) led Mitt Romney (23 percent), Rudy Giuliani (11 percent), Mike Huckabee (10 percent), Ron Paul (8 percent), Fred Thompson (2 percent) and Duncan Hunter (1 percent). Thirteen percent were undecided. Rudy Giuliani’s numbers have declined in six consecutive polls, from a high of 37 percent in March 2007 to 11 percent as of Jan. 2, 2008.







Here is the
Franklin Pierce University / WBZ Poll from January 2, 2008:


CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE LARGER:

McCain led 46 percent-to-24 percent among older voters. He also led among both registered Republicans and independents, the latter a former stronghold of the Romney campaign. In addition, Ron Paul’s third-place showing among independents (11 percent) may reduce the available independent pie left on election day.

In N.H., McCain Rekindles the Spirit of 2000 With a Different Message and Support Base

By Alec MacGillis

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, December 31, 2007;

Page A06

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As Sen. John McCain stages a resurrection in New Hampshire, his loyalists here say they can feel it in the air: the spirit of early 2000, when the Arizona Republican rode a raucous insurgency to trounce his party's establishment prince, George W. Bush, in the first-in-the-nation primary. "Mac is Back!" chanted supporters welcoming McCain as he arrived at the airport Friday from Iowa.

"He's back to his old self, and the
electricity is in the air,"

said Paul Chevalier, the head of McCain's veterans advisory group here.

"I kind of missed the electricity of last
time until recently, but now it's definitely there. He walks into a hall and
people come alive."

But it would be a mistake to read what is occurring in New Hampshire -- where McCain has surged to a close second in polls, behind former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney -- as simply a repeat of the 2000 primary.

In 2000, McCain won over New Hampshire voters as much with his straight-shooting, mischievous persona as with his platform of reforming the campaign finance and tax systems. He drew impassioned support from the state's independent voters, who can vote in either party's primary, and provoked suspicion from many establishment Republicans, who, further into the primary season, coalesced to crush his candidacy.

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Read This and Weep Peeing Red McCain Haters....

Looks like your 'Boy" Willard the 'Flipster' Romney is sinking fast:

ELECTION 2008

Republican roller-coaster: Poll ranks McCain No. 1

Arizona senator finds himself on top for 1st time, Huckabee, Giuliani close

Posted: December 30, 2007

11:20 a.m. Eastern

The race for the Republican nomination for the presidency appears to be a rollar-coaster ride this year, as John McCain is the new leader in a fresh national poll by Rasmussen Reports.

For the first time all year, the Arizona senator finds himself on top with support from 17 percent of likely Republican primary voters.

McCain becomes the third person to top the poll this month and the fourth since October.

"One of the more amazing things about the Republican race this year is that it has grown closer and closer over time," notes Rasmussen. "In a poll with a four-percentage point margin of error, the fact that five candidates are within five points means there is absolutely no national frontrunner. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that 13 percent of likely primary voters remain undecided."

CLICK HERE to Read the Latest Rasmussen Poll

"Polls Show McCain Gains" By Garry Rayno, The New Hampshire Union Leader

Boy are the 'Peeing Red' Trolls going to be pissed?

December 20, 2007

Eight years ago, Arizona Sen. John McCain was the front-runner in the Republican presidential primary, leading then Texas Gov. George Bush and pulling away.

Today, McCain is the underdog, but two polls show him gaining ground in the Granite State after a week of endorsements from major media, from former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, and from a former secretary of state to two Presidents, Henry Kissinger.

One poll showed the Arizona senator in what could be considered a dead heat with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
"We're firing on all cylinders," said Mike Dennehy, McCain's national political director.

"Everything is coming together perfectly and
right when we needed it."

McCain has been courting independents, the state's largest voting bloc. He notes many New Hampshire voters are still undecided.

In an interview last night on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," McCain predicted he would win in New Hampshire, but said, "Whether I 'win' or not is up to you and others (in the media) ... It's expectations."

He attributed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's recent surge in Iowa and national polls to Huckabee's entertaining debate performances and his "likability."

"He comes across as a very decent person who has a sense of humor," McCain said. "The thing I regret is, we have not talked about his health care (plan). We have not talked about education, the war, Iran."

The latest Rasmussen Reports' New Hampshire poll shows Romney with 31 percent, McCain at 27 percent and no one else within striking distance.

The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percent, which puts the candidates in a dead heat.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts 13 percent, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is at 11 percent.

Before the latest endorsements, Romney had 33 percent support and McCain 18. In late-November, Romney led by 19 points and was up by 15 in early November.

According to the latest CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Primary Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, McCain has overtaken Giuliani for second place behind Romney, who has maintained a steady lead with 34 to 32 percent for the last two months.

McCain has 22 percent of the likely Republican voters -- up from 18 percent -- a week ago, while Giuliani has dropped from 19 to 16 percent since last week. Huckabee, who leads polls in Iowa, is fourth with 10 percent and Texas Congressman Ron Paul is fifth with 5 percent.

Romney's New Hampshire campaign spokesman Craig Smith said, "We continue to see that Gov. Romney's support is strong throughout the state. ... He's the one candidate talking about securing our borders, cutting taxes and strengthening families and those issues are very important to New Hampshire voters."

Dennehy said the polls "validates what we are feeling on the ground. With every town hall meeting with John McCain, we have more and more people coming up after and telling (McCain) 'You've got my vote,' which is what occurred in 2000. When the buzz started to occur, that's when things really took off for us."

The UNH Survey Center poll contacted 411 likely Republican voters and 469 likely Democratic voters with a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percent. Voters were contacted between Dec. 13 and 17 for the poll.

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